Don’t Be Afraid of Having Good Fats in Your Diet

When you’re on any kind of weight loss journey, whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 100, your diet is one of the major deciding factors in how much weight you lose and how quickly you lose it. Bottom line: without any of the science, you get out what you put in. If you’re eating at fast food joints with meals that are high in fat, sugar, sodium, and carbs, you’re going to gain weight since your body is going to hang on to all of that stuff and metabolize straight into fat.

Most “get healthy” or “lose weight” crash diet guides will tell you to cut out fats altogether, but you have to be super careful about doing this because your body needs fat in your diet just like it needs sugars, salt, and carbs too. Don’t get me wrong, when you cut those meals out of your diet, you’re going to lose weight, but the key here is what kind of fat you’re putting into your body. There is such a thing as good fat and your body needs it.

Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFAs): Mainly found in plant based food / oils, PUFAs perform the same function as MUFAs.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These acids (form of PUFA) are normally found in fatty fish and decreases your risk of coronary artery disease.

Why does my body need good fat?

The health benefits to consuming good fats could take up an entire post by themselves, so I’ll just focus in on one that’s near and dear to me. They keep your mind sharp.

One foodstuff that’s packed with good fat is coconut oil which is also high in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). I’ll spare you the nitty gritty details from a recent scientific study on Alzheimer’s, but MCTs have been linked to improving cognitive functioning in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and not after days and weeks of constant dosage, but after a single 40mL dose! MCTs are easier for your body to absorb, use, and produce Ketone bodies which are used as fuel source to power metabolic processes in your brain.

Lose weight and stay sharp

By using coconut oil when you cook your meals or incorporating coconut milk into your dishes, not only are you displacing harmful saturated fats from butter and vegetable oil, you’re fueling your brain!